Tutoring Youth Who Work

Monday, August 8, 2016

In Madhya Pradesh, one of our priorities is to tutor children who have to work in the fields throughout the daytime.

“What used to bother me a lot was that many parents considered it a priority to send their children to graze animals like cows and goats,” explains Anju Singh, the Amrita SeRVe Fellow there.

These children would not attend school as they were gone from 8 am to 5 pm. No amount of persuasion from Anju’s side could change the parents’ minds. They would ask her, “Who will do this job then?”

Then along came Raju. He was a boy who asked Anju to start teaching reading and writing after 5 pm every day. He didn’t want to remain illiterate all his life.

“Before I knew it, the class size had grown. There were 10 children, and I was teaching Hindi to all of them,” says Anju with a smile.

“My dream is that all of these children grow up to be responsible members of society. I am also from a village and it’s because my parents motivated me to complete my college degrees that I am here today. No one should be left behind – that is my wish for my village and my nation.”